BIG PICTURE
The American Osteopathic Association had a problem: decreasing membership. To understand the cause, they conducted extensive research which revealed a sobering insight: members felt the AOA was out of touch with the challenges they were facing every day, from declining reimbursement to the battle to maintain work/life balance. In response, the AOA embarked on a multi-year brand repositioning to demonstrate a renewed relevance to members. They turned to Remedy for help rolling it out.
THE MESSAGE TO LEADERSHIP
To tell the story of the new AOA brand, we began with a critical audience: 300 AOA senior leaders. Why? It was essential for them to understand the findings from the member research. We developed a teaser postcard followed by a brochure that posed the question members were asking the AOA: “Do you know me?” The content consisted almost entirely of quotes from five DOs, who shared everything from what keeps them up at night to what they need most from the AOA.
THE MESSAGE TO MEMBERS
Our second step was to communicate to members the AOA’s renewed vision and commitment to addressing their needs. In keeping with our communication strategy directed at AOA leadership, we recommended a spin-free approach that let the AOA’s new programs developed in response to member feedback do the talking. The mix included a brochure and several print ads.
THE MESSAGE TO STAFF
Another critical audience was AOA staff. They, too, needed to fully understand the strategic reasons behind the AOA’s new brand promise to members, and what was expected from each of them to deliver on it. Remedy and the AOA communications team worked together to develop a comprehensive set of guidelines for the new brand, outlining everything from expected response times to member requests, to how to present the new look and feel.
A CATALYST FOR CHANGE
Within months of the launch, response exceeded expectations. Internally, the new brand was heralded as a catalyst for refocusing the organization on a critical business objective: attracting and retaining members. Externally, initial feedback from members acknowledged new programs as an important step toward strengthening member loyalty.
AWARD WINNING
Our work to launch the AOA’s new brand has received accolades from the creative community. The “Do you know me?” brochure, developed to communicate the new brand strategy to AOA leadership, was recognized as a finalist in the prestigious OneShow 2007 Design competition.
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